Category: Gratuitous Gun Pics

Gratuitous Gun Pic: H&H SxS 12ga Pair

Gratuitous Gun Pics

Longtime Readers will know that when it comes to shotgun calibers, I am of the 20-gauge persuasion simply because I’m leery of getting my shoulder separated etc.  (I know, I know:  your 5’1″ 110lb wife can handle a 12ga all day blah blah blah whatever.)

THAT SAID:  I could be tempted into this matched pair of Hollands because reasons.  (All pics can be enlarged via the usual methods.)

You may say they’re not worth the money, but all I can think of is that choir of angels singing hallelujah every time I open the safe door.

Now where did I leave that winning lottery ticket…?

Gratuitous Gun Pic: CETME 58 Model C (.308 Win)

Gratuitous Gun Pics

I’ve only ever owned a few semi-auto “battle” rifles, but I have to say that since the Unfortunate Canoeing Accident on the Brazos River several years ago, I’ve felt the CETME’s loss rather keenly;  and this one from Collectors has not helped at all:

The design went on to be the basis for the HK G3 (unsurprising, as the engineers were post-WWII Germans), but for some reason I’ve always found the CETME more pleasant to shoot.  Purely on aesthetic grounds, of course, the wooden grips are better than the plastic ones by a country mile.  And I really like the quirky upper-mounted bayonet. for a bonus.

Mechanically, mine fed everything flawlessly — .308 Win and 7.62 NATO both — and it was as accurate as any of its FN-based counterparts.

The history of the CETME is here, and once you’ve overcome the shock of paying over a grand for any Century Arms offering, I have to say that this would be a lovely (and cheaper) alternative to the other 7.62 NATO rifles out there.

To paraphrase Othias, I’d take this CETME to war in a heartbeat.

“Second-Tier” Revolvers

Gratuitous Gun Pics, The Gun Thing

They’re not the “flagship” models that jump immediately to mind when one talks of proud handgun manufacturers like Colt or Smith & Wesson.

Say “Colt revolver”, for instance, and the word that jumps immediately to mind is “Python”:

…and a lovely thing it is, too. [pause to wipe drool from chin]

But what if you can’t afford the $5 grand price tag for an original (79-80s era) Colt revolver?  Step forward its predecessor, the Trooper:

Now I have to tell y’all, I love love love this gun.  Sure, it doesn’t have the heavy barrel underlug of the Python, and maybe its trigger isn’t quite as good — maybe — but I have to say that it’s a sexy beast all by itself.  Point is, though, that as pictured, the Trooper is an astounding $1,500 cheaper than the Python, and while still expensive — it’s a minty Colt, FFS, what did you expect? — it’s not exactly a huge stepdown in quality either.

It must be said that Smiths are miles cheaper than most Colt revolvers, so there’s not much difference between the models, cost-wise.  But sticking with .357 Mag models with ~6″ barrels, the S&W Model 686 is a peach of a revolver:


…and I know that many of you have one (!) and swear by it.  I would, too, and did (before the Tragic Canoe Accident On The Brazos River).

But spare a moment for the venerable Model 60:


Honestly, I prefer the latter even if its J-frame is not as stout as that of the L-frame 686 (heck, my bedside gun is a K-frame Model 65, and I don’t feel bad about it).  And yes I know, the 60 is a five-shooter and not a six/seven-shooter like the 686.  A cursory perusal of gun articles over the years is replete with titles like “Model 60 — the only revolver you’ll ever need?”, so there’s that.

Frankly, I think the Model 60 is a more stylish gun — its slender barrel with a semi-underlug / ejector shroud is (that word again) sexy, and the one in the above pic has me drooling again.  WANT.

Branch line:  Some of you Smith fanatics adherents are going to compare the Python to the blued Mod 586:



…but no;  the Python’s trigger is not only better, but in a different class, sorry.  Not that I hate the 586, oh perish the thought, but… no.

Okay, all this talk of guns (and the pictures that accompany them) means that I have to go to the range, now.  Talk amongst yourselves…

Gratuitous Gun Pic: Winchester 1886 (.45-70 Govt)

Gratuitous Gun Pics

I really need someone to explain to me just what it is about this old warhorse that makes my trigger finger twitch and my overburdened credit card start whimpering:

I mean yes, I know that this particular one is beautiful beyond words, and in a post-Lotto-win era would already be mine, all mine.  But still… I’m not nor ever will be a cowboy, and the chances of my doing any deep-woods black bear hunting are slim to non-existent.  And I already have a .30-30 Winchester lever rifle.

But I still want this one, oh how I want it.

Somebody help me.

Gratuitous Gun Pic: Remington 742 Woodmaster (.30-06)

Gratuitous Gun Pics

It has been a long time since I last fired a Woodmaster, but I remember saying then — and I repeat now — that if ever there was a rifle built to sidestep the stupid “assault rifle” hysteria, then this would be it, in the very manly .30-06 Springfield chambering:

And there’s even one costing a little less, that doesn’t include a scope.  Best of all is that these two rifles were made back when Remington still cared about quality.

Here’s the thing.  All gunny goodness involves compromise — sometimes lots of compromises — and in this case, the major compromise is, of course, that teeny 5-round magazine.  That’s more than adequate for hunting, but in a more, shall we say antisocial environment, not so much.

I would suggest that five rounds of .30-06 should pretty much end any dispute, but then again I’m of the “make every shot count” school and not in the “spray and pray” camp.

And, of course, this little honey would serve just as well as a hunting rifle — something you can’t necessarily say about the latest plastic fantastic Mattel offering — so there’s that.  Also, the listed Collectors price of $700 isn’t too horrible, either.

And the 742 has exquisite, flowing lines which allow for a proper fondling and stroking, compared to the Mattel’s sharp corners and unfeeling plastic.

Needless to say, I’m just an old-fashioned gun lover who prefers the old over the new, and wood & blued steel over plastic & anodized.  So sneer at me if you will, but that’s my position and I’m unlikely to change it.

Gratuitous Gun Pic: J. Rigby Matched Pair (12ga)

Gratuitous Gun Pics

I don’t know why I do this to myself.  Every damn week I go over to Steve Barnett’s website, look at the new listings and am constantly reminded why I hate being poor.

Take the latest such horror, this Rigby Rising Bite pair (right-click to embiggen):

 

I know, the sticker shock ($29 grand or so) is severe — as it always is with Rigby’s guns — but have mercy that’s a lovely pair.

In fact, I want that pair more than Paige Spirinac‘s… and I don’t even shoot 12ga.